When Preston High School in the Bronx announced it was closing in February, it seemed to be another list of long lists of urban Catholic schools that lacked money and registration. Even the girls' school, with a well-known alumni (Jennifer Lopez, class 1987), did not appear to be immune to the trend of closing many bigoted schools in the past decades.
But something seemed to be off for Preston alumni, current students, their families and some staff. Preston was different from other schools. It was financially sound, with enrollment at nearly 100% of the target number of around 370 students. Furthermore, it has a strong and organized group of former students who refused to accept the explanation of closure given by the sisters of God, the Roman Catholic religious order that owns the school. Now, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been drawn into the fight.
James took the lead side of a raucous hearing on Tuesday to investigate the dark situation regarding his decision to close Preston at the end of this school year. A crowd of about 500 people packed the large auditorium of Lehman, another Bronx high school, delivering hours of testimony with loud cheers and numerous standing ovations.
“This is a call to action for other schools and others in similar positions,” Jackline Stewart Hawkins, a 2002 Preston class, said in an interview.
Stewart Hawkins is part of a broader effort by alumni, staff, student families and elected officials, and keeps the school open.
Amandafaria, a majoritarian leader on the New York City Council who graduated from Preston High School in 2007, was one of the people who encouraged James to intervene.
In an interview last week, Faria called the school “a cornerstone of the community” and said she is a mystery to her decision to close it given her relatively solid financial position and high enrollment. She accused the sisters of owning two buildings that house the school and not transparent.
“They don't want to continue educating young women of color in the Bronx, despite being one of the places where schools successfully went and created people like me,” Farias said.
She also spoke at the hearing with Vanessa Gibson, president of the Bronx Borough, and Christy Marmorato, a city council member, including the Bronx Neck section of the Bronx, the Preston home. They all condemned the closure.
With the authority to ask the court to take action, James showed up sympatheticly and promised a “full analysis” of the case. Her office is empowered to consider how nonprofits like Preston do business.
“We want to make sure we are following all the requirements,” James said.
The God-compassionate sister had no representative for the hearing, but submitted a letter read in the record. The order said in a statement Wednesday that it would listen to all speakers and cooperate with the Attorney General's investigation.
The average age is 83, and its members say they will no longer be able to govern the school or become a landlord and need to prepare for retirement. In a video released to illustrate the decision, some of the organization's representatives state that while enrollment in the school is currently stable, it is 34% lower than in 2012, the building is old and requires expensive repairs. They criticized what was called a false information campaign and said they were “betrayed” by school administrators after the decision was made.
“For some reason, the Preston community would have preferred to handle it more than they do,” Sister Susan Becker said in the video. In a letter to the school community, the group also cited financial instability and “changes in demographics.” This is a phrase that was repeatedly raised during Tuesday's hearing.
“The demographics have changed,” said Jennifer Connolly, the school's principal, the enemy of the closure voice that was a standing ovation when she was introduced. “I don't know why it's a bad thing.”
Shortly after the decision to close was announced, the Bronx Times reported that Barry's foundation offered $8.5 million to God's sisters for the two buildings and offered to maintain the high school on a 25-year lease of renting $1 a year. The Foundation is a charity for gambling companies seeking casino licenses in New York.
The order refused the offer with little explanation. Many Preston alumni wonder if the order has received a better offer to request that the building be vacant.
“That's a speculation,” said Andrea Doncole, a 1999 Preston graduate and a former board member. “But otherwise we can't understand that.”
In a statement to the New York Times, the God's Compassion Sisters said in their negotiations that despite their 25-year lease promise, Barry will not commit to long-term management support for the school. “Barrys also did not want to commit to continuing the property being used as a school,” the statement continued.
Barry's chairman Sue Kim disputed the claim, saying in an interview the offer was still standing. It also includes the option of repurchasing the building at any time at the same price adjusted for inflation. He added that as long as Bally's has a golf course at Throgs Neck, “the school will still be there.”
“Reinvestment in our community is part of our philosophy,” Kim said. “I don't know why they rejected the offer.”
The Sisters of God's Compassion (also known as the Religion of God's Compassion, or RDC) was founded in 1886 to care for and educate underprivileged children. The school was opened in 1947.
Doncole and her sister, Crystal Doncole, are two former students who, together with Stewart Hawkins and others, formed Preston Forest, a group of alumni fighting the closure. Like councillor Farria, they believe in God's sisters by instilling their Preston education and the independence, leadership skills and curiosity that God's sisters have motivated them to take action.
“Preston was the foundation of my trajectory of being the woman I am today,” said Crystal Dongkol, an English professor at Southern Methodist University.
Their cause was recently boosted when his wife and cousin attended Preston attorney John McCallick filed a brief with the Attorney General. He said he approached two sisters of God's compassion, the “rebel nun,” almost three years ago. His simple fact is that the organization is illegally breaking lease agreements with the school.
“The idea that they somehow have the right to monetize this property is because it's a valuable property and is wrong to me,” McCarrick said.
